What They Did Yesterday Afternoon by Warsan Shire

they set my aunts house on fire

i cried the way women on tv do

folding at the middle

like a five pound note.

i called the boy who use to love me

tried to ‘okay’ my voice

i said hello

he said warsan, what’s wrong, what’s happened?




i’ve been praying,

and these are what my prayers look like;

dear god

i come from two countries

one is thirsty

the other is on fire

both need water.




later that night

i held an atlas in my lap

ran my fingers across the whole world

and whispered

where does it hurt?




it answered

everywhere

everywhere

everywhere.

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